This is a list of results of leadership elections for the Ontario Liberal Party, a political party in Ontario, Canada.

Note: Before 1919, the leaders of the Ontario Liberal Party were chosen by its elected Members of the Legislative Assembly. There were calls for a more open process as early as 1907.

1919 leadership convention

(Held on June 26, 1919 at the Foresters' Hall, 22 College Street, Toronto.)

= Eliminated from next round = Withdrew nomination = Winner

+ Delegate support by ballot Candidate Ballot 1 Ballot 2 Name Votes % Votes % +/- (pp) Hartley Dewart 147 47.1% 158 52.1% +5.0 J. C. Tolmie 97 31.1% 121 39.9% +8.8 J. C. Elliott 37 11.9% 24 7.9% -4.0 William Proudfoot 23 7.4% Eliminated Thomas McMillan 8 2.6% Eliminated Votes cast and net change by ballot Total 312 100.0% 303 100.0% -9

Charles Martin Bowman, MPP for Bruce North; W.T.R. Preston, editor of the Port Hope Evening Guide, Rev. W. G. Charlton of Aylmer, and A. J. Young of Toronto were nominated but declined. Frederick Forsyth Pardee, Member of Parliament for Lambton West was to be nominated but sent a message to the convention declining.

1922 leadership convention

(Held on March 3, 1922 at the Foresters' Hall, 22 College Street, Toronto.) Candidate Votes % Wellington Hay majority50+J.C. Tolmien/an/aW.E.N. Sinclairn/an/aTotaln/a100.0

(Note: The vote totals do not appear to have been announced.)

1930 leadership convention

(Held on December 16–17, 1930 at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto.) Candidate Votes % Mitchell Hepburn 42781.5Elmore Philpott9718.5Total524100.0

W.E.N. Sinclair and Sydney Tweed both withdrew from the race before balloting.

1943 leadership convention

(Held on April 30, 1943 at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto.)

Candidate Votes % Harry Nixon 41874.0Arthur Roebuck8515.0Thomas McQuesten407.1Walter Thomson223.9Total573100.0 There were 8 spoiled ballots. Premier Gordon Conant had also been a candidate but collapsed the morning of the leadership vote and withdrew.

1945 leadership election

(Held on April 2, 1945 at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto.)

CandidateVotes Mithchell Hepburn acclaimed

Harry Nixon resigned as Liberal leader on December 10, 1944 and nominated Hepburn to succeed him as parliamentary leader until a leadership convention could be held. Following the defeat of George Drew's Conservative government in a non-confidence motion, Hepburn was elected Acting Leader on April 2, 1945, at a joint meeting held at the King Edward Hotel of Ontario Liberal MPPs, federal Ontario Liberal MPs the party executive and other party officials in order to lead the party into the election. The move was to be affirmed by a party convention to be held on May 1, but this was cancelled due to the 1945 provincial election being underway. Hepburn was defeated in the 1945 provincial election, and Farquhar Oliver was chosen as the Ontario Liberal Party's parliamentary leader on July 4, 1945.

1947 leadership convention

(Held on May 16, 1947 at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto)"Liberal Leadership Race Won By Oliver", Ottawa Citizen, May 17, 1947 Candidate Votes % Farquhar Oliver 49274.4Colin Campbelln/an/aAllan A. Lamportn/an/aAlvin P. Cadeaun/an/aW.A. Gunnn/an/aTotal661100.0

P.M. Dewan and W.A. Moore both withdrew from the race before balloting.

(Note: Complete vote totals were not reported. Oliver received 492 of 661 votes cast)

1950 leadership convention

(Held on November 10, 1950 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.) + Delegate support by ballot Candidate 1st ballot 2nd ballot 3rd ballotNameVotes cast %Votes cast %Votes cast % Walter Thomson 296 40.1 334 44.9 365 52.1 Harry Cassidy 156 21.1 194 26.1 220 31.4 John G. Brown 149 20.2 166 22.3 116 16.5 Campbell Calder 69 9.3 50 6.7Eliminated Henry Arnott Hicks 28 3.8Withdrew Charles Winnans Cox 24 3.3Withdrew Norman Hipel 12 1.6Withdrew J. J. Sullivan 4 0.5EliminatedTotal 738 100.0 744 100.0 701 100.0

After the first ballot, J. J. Sullivan was eliminated. Henry Arnott Hicks, Charles Winnans Cox, and Norman Hipel withdrew before the second ballot. Campbell Calder was eliminated after the second ballot, leaving Thomson, Cassidy, and Brown on the third and final ballot.

1954 leadership convention

(Held on April 9, 1954 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.) Candidate Votes % Farquhar Oliver 41266.5Albert Wren16226.1Bob Temple467.4Total620100.0

1958 leadership convention

(Held on April 20, 1958 at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto.)

+ Delegate support by ballot Candidate 1st ballot 2nd ballot 3rd ballot Votes % Votes % Votes % John Wintermeyer 264 34.2 369 46.8 398 53.3 Walter Harris 304 39.3 354 44.9 349 46.7 Joe Greene 88 11.4 45 5.7 14 1.9 Vernon Singer 43 5.6 21 2.7 Ross Whicher 39 5.0 Arthur Reaume 32 4.1 Albert Wren 7 0.9 Total 777 100.0 789 100.0 747 100.0

Wren eliminated and endorsed Wintermeyer; Whicher and Reaume withdrew and endorsed Wintermeyer.

1964 leadership convention

(Held on September 19–20, 1964 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.)

+ Delegate support by ballot Candidate 1st ballot 2nd ballot 3rd ballot 4th ballot 5th ballot 6th ballotName Votes cast % Votes cast % Votes cast % Votes cast % Votes cast % Votes cast % Andy Thompson 379 27.7 408 29.7 462 33.6 520 38.1 539 39.9 772 58.8 Charles Templeton 317 23.1 356 25.9 396 28.8 422 30.9 419 31.0 540 41.2 Robert Nixon 313 22.8 351 25.6 356 25.9 387 28.3 392 29.0 Joe Greene 236 17.2 211 15.4 149 10.9 37 2.7 Victor Copps 61 4.5 27 2.0 10 0.7 Eddie Sargent 51 3.7 20 1.5 Joseph Gould 13 0.9Total 1,370 100.0 1,373 100.0 1,373 100.0 1,366 100.0 1,350 100.0 1,312 100.0

1967 leadership convention

(Held on January 6, 1967 at the Royal York Hotel, Toronto)

CandidateVotes Robert Nixon acclaimed

(Nixon was elected interim leader by the caucus on November 16, 1966 following the resignation of Andrew Thompson. Nixon had suggested that Charles Templeton may become permanent leader but members of his caucus spoke in opposition and Templeton decline to run. Nixon was acclaimed as permanent leader at the party's 1967 convention. He announced his resignation as party leader in 1972, but subsequently entered the race to succeed himself in 1973.)

1973 leadership convention

(Held on October 28, 1973 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.)

+ Delegate support by ballot Candidate 1st ballot 2nd ballot 3rd ballotName Votes cast % Votes cast % Votes cast % Robert Nixon 730 42.5 768 45.3 922 57.7 Norman Cafik 574 33.4 613 36.1 675 42.3 Donald Deacon 402 23.4 316 18.6Endorsed Nixon Michael Houlton 11 0.6No endorsementTotal 1,717 100.0 1,697 100.0 1,597 100.0

1976 leadership convention

(Held on January 24–25, 1976 at the Four Seasons Sheraton Hotel, Toronto)

+ Delegate support by ballot Candidate 1st ballot 2nd ballot 3rd ballotName Votes cast % Votes cast % Votes cast % Stuart Smith 629 32.0 742 38.5 998 51.2 David Peterson 518 26.4 673 34.9 953 48.8 Albert Roy 469 23.9 513 26.6No Endorsement Mark MacGuigan 308 15.7No Endorsement Larry Condon 37 1.9No Endorsement Michael Houlton 4 0.2No endorsementTotal 1,965 100.0 1,928 100.0 1,951 100.0

1982 leadership convention

(Held on February 21, 1982 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, Toronto).

= Eliminated from next round = Withdrew nomination = Winner

+ Delegate support by ballot Candidate1st Ballot 2nd Ballot NameVotes%Votes%David Peterson966 46.3 1136 55.2 Sheila Copps 636 30.5 774 37.6 Richard Thomas 234 11.2 148 7.2 Jim Breithaupt 130 6.2 John Sweeney 122 5.8 Votes cast by ballotTotal 2088 100.0 2058 100.0

1992 leadership convention

(Held February 8–9, 1992 at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton.)

1996 leadership convention

(Held November 30 – December 1, 1996 at the Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto)

2013 leadership election

(Held January 26, 2013 at the Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto)

A leadership contest was trigger when Premier Dalton McGuinty stepped down after nine years in office. Five current and two former members of his cabinet entered the contest. The contest featured two women on the final ballot, and resulted in the first female Premier in Ontario, and the first openly LGBT premier in Canada.

2020 leadership election

(Held March 6–7, 2020 at the International Centre, Mississauga)

2023 leadership election

(Results announced December 2, 2023 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre)

A leadership election was held December 2, 2023 due to the June 2, 2022 resignation of Steven Del Duca as party leader following his party's poor result in the 2022 Ontario general election.

According to the party, 22,827 party members cast ballots out of a total membership of over 100,000.

2026 leadership election

(Results announced November 21, 2026 at TBA)

A leadership election will be held on November 21, 2026, due to the resignation of Bonnie Crombie as party leader, following her poor result in a leadership review vote.

References